Available for the first time in paperback, this is a history of the European city from the early Middle Ages until the present. It is also an account of the relationship between urban life and the history of ideas and culture. The book discusses the survival of urban culture following the barbarian invasions from the north and the Islamic from the east, after the collapse of the Roman and Byzantine Empires. It covers the great period of urban expansion between the eleventh and fourteenth centuries.

The two centuries following the formation of the first European states brought concentrated power and influence to their capitals. New ideas of national identity were reflected in the organization of traditional urban space. The conflict between city and country had emerged by the sixteenth century and the author shows how this influenced the colonial towns of the two Americas. The book concludes with chapters on the effects of industrialization and modern transportation.
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